Venetian blind control mechanism



May Z6, 1936. M. L'. WIENER ET AL VENETIAN BLIND CONTROL MECHANISM Filed April 27, 19:55

. WENZLseJz/ MLLW \ ATTORNEY Patented May 26, 1936 UNITED ASTATI-:s PArENr OFFICE;

AMartin L. wiener and waiter n'Neisen, san

Leandro, Calif., assignors to Ry-Lock Company Ltd., San Leandro, Calif., a corporation y' Applicauon'aprii 21, 1935, serial No. 18,552

s claims. .(cl'.' 15s- 11) This invention relates to control mechanisms for Venetian blinds and is directed particularly to a control mechanism for tilting the slats of the blind to different angular positions transversely.

vTheprincipal objects of this invention are to provide a Venetian blind tilting mechanism which will operate with great'ease; one in which the control mechanism is concealed so `that the structure is neat in appearance, and one which is compact in construction in order that the hori- `zorital tilt rail of the blind structure will be sup-f A further object o-f this invention is to provide a device wherein the reaches of the blind tilting cord may be maintained in trained relation about l a substantialand constant portion of the peripheral groove of the control sheave Vregardless of the direction of movement of the cord.' lt is also- .Our .purpose tof provide guide elements for the tilting cord of such form that the cordmay be pulled from any angle relative to thefjcontrol mechanism without any tendency to binding.

A further object of the invention is' to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which willV be exceedingly eiective for the purpose for which it is designed.

vThese objects we accomplish by meansof such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.`

In' the drawing similar characters oi reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views: Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the blind tilting mechanism illustrating the` saine as mounted on the head rail of the Venetian blind.

40 Figure 2 is a front elevation illustrating the operating mechanism in dotted lines.;

Figure 3 is a top plan of the mechanism with the upper portionof the'frame removed.

tilting mechanism. Fig. 4a is a side viewol.' the detached.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawing, the blind tilting and supporting device` comprises a face or frame plate I formed along Vthe top edge witha supporting bracket,

right angle ange 2 and along the lower portion no1' one side edge with a right angle end plate 3.

eliminating to a marked degree the undesirable light space between these two parallel rail mem' Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the blind Formed intermediate the ends of the frame'plate I Izand extending in the same direction as and parallel to the iiange 2 and transversely of the end plate 3 is a base plate 4. The head rail H lits closelyy at one end between the flange 2 and plate 4; and is rigidly 'securedtherqto by suitable means, the rail resting on the plate d.

A segmental'spur gear 5 is rigidly secured to the end of the tilt rail B by suitable 'means such as screws 6 projecting through the gear into the rail. A supporting angle-ange'l formed on the lower edge of the gear and extending at right angles thereto under the rail provides an additional support for the rail B relative to the gear 5.#

Extending axially from .gear 5 is a rigid stub shaft s which is eircumferentiauy grooves adja- 15.

'slats S are suspended as usual from the tilt rail bf; spaced ladder tapes T.

Rotatably journaled in and projecting through the base plate 4 is a vertical shaft I2 whose axis is closer to plate I than the axis of the horizontal longitudinal shaft 8. Secured to the lower end of the vertical shaft I2 is a special form of worm the blind slats to a" termination in pull knobs (not gear G comprising a disc or head I3 having spirally disposed and overlapping segmental ridges Il depending from the lower fa'ce' of the head, as f illustrated in Figure 4, and forming teeth for y meshing engagement with the teeth of the segmentalv spur gear 5; the worm being disposed s0 that adjacent its rim it is tangent to thegear.

Mounted on the upper end or the shaft I2 above the base plate l is a sheave I5 about which are trained the reaches or the tilting cord C. The tilt cord glatter passing about the sheave I5 ex' tends outithrough outwardly aringguide thimbles I6" i'ormed inthe outer face of the frame plate I. The lineslfthen depend down in front of shown). .15

Positioned betweenthe sheave I5V and the outwardly Haring guide thlmbles I6 is a. guide bar I1 formed with spaced holes through which the lines ,of the Vcord pass. These holes are spaced apart Yless distance than the diameter of the sheave 'rms struetiue is mustrated in Figure 3. In use, the end of the guide bar through which the cord is running on the sheave will be drawn against the sheave as illustrated, thus causing the cord to be drawn down into the sheave groove and provide greater peripheral engagement therewith than would otherwise be the case. i

In use, the blind tilting mechanism is mounted on one end of the head rail as illustrated in Figure 1. The head rail extends between the flange 2 and base plate 4 and is cut out to encase the sheave I and adjacent parts. Suitable screws hold the head rail in rigid connection with this ,tilting mechanism and the mechanism is secured to the window casing by other screws which extend through the flange 3 and hold the same against the casing. The frame of the Vtilting mechanism thus serves also as a supporting bracket for the head rail.

When it is desired to tilt the head rail, the cords, depending down in front of the slats, are moved in opposite directions relative to each other causing the sheave i5 and flat worm gear G to rotate. As the flat worm gear rotates. the peculiarly shaped spiral teeth thereof successively engage the teeth ofthe segmental spur gear and rotate the same causing the cooperating tilt rail to tilt resulting in all the slats tilting as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 1.

Due to the use of outwardly Haring guide thimbles I6 for the tilt cords, they may be operated from any angle with equal ease. The frame plate I, in which the thimbles are formed, also forms a shield for` the gears and sheave concealing the same and thereby making the device very neat in appearance.

The tilt rail with the segmental spur gear secured thereto, as well as the blind itself, may be entirely removed from the supporting and tilting device by ilrst detaching the end pin (on one end of the tilt rail) Ifrom the bayonet slot in the bracket (not shown) and then removing the circumferentialy groovedshaft (on the other end of the tilt-rail) from the key hole slot in the end Y plate 3.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that we have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be.resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as dened by the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a Venetian blind, a tilt rail, a spur gear fixed to said rail at one end thereof, means pivotally supporting said gear, a worm mounted above the gear on a vertical axis and comprising a flat horizontal disc and depending spiral overlapping ridges thereon forming gear engaging teeth, and means to rotate said worm.

2. In a Venetian blind a tilt rail, a spur gear fixed with said rail at one end, means pivotally supporting said gear, a worm mounted above the gear on a vertical axis and comprising a flat hori- While this specication `sets forth in detail the zontal disc and depending spiral overlapping ridges thereon forming gear engaging teeth, a sheave xed axially with and above the worm disc, and a pull cord passing about the sheave.

3. In a Venetian blind having a head rail, a 5 tilt rail thereunder, and a tilt controlling mechanism therefor, a supporting frame in which said mechanism is mounted adapted to be secured on a window casing, means on said frame to support one end of the head rail, and means between the 10 -tilt 'controlling mechanism and the tilt rail to support the latter.

4. In a Venetian blind having a head rail and a tilt rail thereunder, a tilt controlling mechanism comprising a supporting frame which in- .cludes a horizontal base plate secured to and on which the head rail rests, and a front plate depending from the base platela spur gear mounted on a horizontal axis under said base plate and supporting the adjacent end of the tilt rail, a 2o worm mounted with a vertical axis on and under the plate and comprising a flat disc, and depending spiral ridges forming gear engaging teeth, a sheave ilxed axially with the worm above the base plate, the head raiLbeing recessed to clear the sheave, and a control cord about the sheave, the front plate having guide openings through which the reaches of the cord project.

5. In a tilt controlling mechanism for a Venetian blind, a sheave, a control cord passing about the sheave and having pull reaches leading from opposite sides thereof, xed guide thimbles through which the reaches pass spaced from the adjacentperlphery of the sheave, and a plate disposed between the thimbles and the sheave and having openings through. which the reaches of the cord pass, the spacing of said openings being less than the diameter of the sheave.

6. In a Venetian blind, a.4 tilt rail, a segmental y spur gear secured to said rail at one end, means pivotally supporting said gear, a worm mounted adjacent the gear and in cooperation therewith, the endmost teeth of the gear being wider than the space between theworm ridges whereby to form stops to limit the rotation of the worm and gear;

7. In a Venetian blind having a head rail and tilt rail thereunder, the combination of a supporting frame adapted to be secured to a window casing, means on said frame to support one end of the head rail, and means on said frame to pivotally support one end of the tilt rail.

8. In a Venetian blind having a head rail, a tilt rail thereunder, and a tilt controlling mechanism therefor, a supporting frame in which said 5 mechanism is mounted adapted to be secured on a Window casing, means on said frame to support one end of the head rail, a spur gear included with the tilt controlling mechanism secured to one end of the tilt rail, and a stub shaft project- Cf) ing axially of the gear from said end ofthe tilt rail and rotatably supported on the frame.

9. A device as 'in claim 8 in which the stub shaft is formed with a' circumferential groove adjacent its outer end, the frame having a, ver- 53 tical key hole slot formed therethrough and in which the grooved shaft engages. v

-I MARTIN L. WIENER. WALTER F. NELSEN. 

